Discover it® Miles is a good credit card for earning travel rewards without paying an annual fee that's especially worthwhile the first year. The Discover it Miles card doubles all the miles you earn the first year as an anniversary gift, and it always has a
0% foreign transaction fee to go along with its
$0 annual fee – just like all other Discover credit cards. What’s being doubled obviously matters, too, and Discover it Miles gives
1.5 miles per $1 on all purchases. As a result, Discover’s one-year anniversary present could be worth a great deal.
Although its name might lead you to assume otherwise, Discover it Miles offers good introductory financing terms, too, giving
0% for 15 months on new purchases and balance transfers to new cardholders, followed by a regular APR of
17.24% - 28.24% Variable. The card’s minimum credit requirement can also be described the same way: good. You’ll want a 700+ credit score for good approval odds.
Below, you can find a summary of all the key points to consider when thinking about applying for the Discover it Miles card.
Discover it Miles Review Highlights
Decent regular earning rate
You will earn 1.5 miles for each $1 that you charge to the Discover it Miles card. That’s solid in the sense that the average rewards card offers just
1.25 miles per $1 spent, according to WalletHub’s latest
Credit Card Landscape Report. But it won’t blow your socks off.
Great first-year promotion
However many miles you earn the first year your account is open, Discover will match it. So let’s say you earn 35,000 miles the first year your account is open. And since Discover miles are worth a penny apiece, that sum would be redeemable for about $350 in travel. That means Discover’s first-year match would give you another $350, for a total of $700. Not too shabby.
Booking flexibility
Where you book matters with many travel rewards credit cards, which often require you to use a certain website or travel provider as a condition of earning points or miles at the maximum rate. That’s not the case with the Discover it Miles card, fortunately enough. You can comparison shop to your heart’s desire and earn rewards at the same rate no matter where you book.
No annual fee
The Discover it Miles card is
$21.58 per year cheaper than the average credit card and even more inexpensive compared to many of the market’s best travel rewards deals. With that being said, it’s your expected rewards value minus fees that really counts.
Decent 0% intro offer
At
0% for 15 months for new purchases and balance transfers, the Discover it Miles credit card’s intro financing promotions are quite a bit better than the market average. That doesn’t mean it’s the best card for the job – far from it, but you’ve got to give credit where credit is due. Just keep in mind that the
Discover it Miles balance transfer part of the deal includes a
3% intro balance transfer fee, up to 5% fee on future balance transfers (see terms)*. And once the introductory promotion ends, a high regular APR comes into effect.
Potential for an extremely high APR
The regular APR on the Discover it Miles card could be anywhere from
17.24% to 28.24% Variable. The low end of the Discover it Miles APR is about the average among credit cards for excellent credit, according to
WalletHub’s Landscape Report. But the high end doesn’t even stack up well against the average for people with fair credit.
Good credit required
You generally need good credit to get approved for the Discover it Miles card, which will make things difficult for about 60% of potential applicants. So it’s a good idea to
check your latest credit score for free on WalletHub to make sure you have a good shot.
